Kevin Hart Steps Down As Oscars Host, Apologizes To LGBTQ Community

Kevin Hart will not host the 91st Academy Awards. The comedian and actor confirmed in a statement that he has withdrawn from hosting duties following the discovery of his old tweets where he used homophobic slurs and other loaded language.

The confirmation of his departure from the show comes after he posted a video on Instagram earlier today in which he said he says the Academy gave him an ultimatum: apologize for the tweets or step down. He refused to apologize, and now he’s out.

In an earlier Instagram post today, Hart addressed the controversy and said, “I’m almost 40 years old and I’m in love with the man that I am becoming. You live and you learn and you grow and you mature.” He added: “I live to love … please take your negative energy and put it into something constructive.”

The 91st Academy Awards take place in February, so the Academy will have to move quickly to find a replacement host. Keep checking back with GameSpot for the latest.

I have made the choice to step down from hosting this year’s Oscar’s….this is because I do not want to be a distraction on a night that should be celebrated by so many amazing talented artists. I sincerely apologize to the LGBTQ community for my insensitive words from my past.

This is just the latest round of controversy for the Oscars. In 2011, Oscars producer Brett Ratner stepped down after making controversial, homophobic comments, while that year’s host, Eddie Murphy, decided to step back as well.

The 91st Academy Awards take place on February 24, 2019. The show was originally set to add a “Popular Film” category, but the Academy decided to scrap it in the wake of some amount of public backlash.

The 2018 Awards ceremony saw the viewership lowest in history, with only 26.5 million people tuning in. That’s almost a 20 percent decline from the 32.9 million who tuned in to 2017’s show.